Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : NNBM - SI Branch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (54243)	9/20/2006 11:43:17 AM
From: Mannie	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 104155

Agent Orange: Defoliant continues to haunt Vietnam vets Vietnam veteran Paul Walsted had half his lung removed after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Seven years passed before he found his disease might be linked to Agent Orange - the herbicide and defoliant used by the US military during the Vietnam War. He was leafing through an American Legion magazine when he discovered the connection. “I found out that if I served in Vietnam and had lung cancer, I could be compensated for it,” Walsted said. “If it wasn't for the American Legion, I would have never found out about it.” He now has one lung and is qualified at 100 percent disabled. Although he once smoked, doctors told him that type of cancer was rare for his age. But at the time of his diagnosis there was no word of mouth and less awareness than there is now, he said. “I didn't know a lot. I knew it was a spray they sprayed over there,” he said. “The government told us it was harmless.” He knew people who had boils on their back after leaving the service but didn't think it was serious. He later lost a friend to lung cancer and suspects it was linked to Agent Orange. He has similar suspicions when reading the obituaries. “You read the obituary and you just kinda figure,” he said. “Anyone in their 50s or 60s who died of lung cancer - you just figure.” For many local veterans groups, awareness is the first step toward a better diagnosis and disability compensation. The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars have monthly newsletters that keep veterans abreast of new Agent Orange findings and developments in Congress, Walsted said. The information is in great demand. Rich Poliska, first vice-president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, said he took 100 fliers on Agent Orange to the Mohave County Fair and quickly ran out. The fliers were passed out to non-members who aren't in the system that allows doctors to see their veteran status - the group Poliska thinks is most at risk. Many younger doctors may not know what Agent Orange is, he said, and won't make a proper diagnosis if they don't know their patient have been exposed. Poliska said he's spoken with at least eight local veterans who are getting benefits because of their exposure to the defoliant, and one is a terminal case. He suspects a recent local death might have been related to exposure. The recently deceased veteran contacted Poliska before his death saying he wasn't feeling well and wanted to know more about Agent Orange. Poliska gave him some information but when he called with a reminder of the next VVA meeting, it was too late. The veteran had been cremated with only a basic autopsy that couldn't reveal whether his death was linked to the chemical. The Department of Veteran Affairs identifies 13 diseases related to Agent Orange exposure, and Poliska cites 43 different types of related cancer. Most recently, Poliska said, a disproportionate amount of diabetes type 2 and 3 has been found among those who'd served in Vietnam. Symptoms can show up as early as a month, or as late as 30 years after exposure, Poliska said, and can lay dormant, then appear anytime. “You thought you survived Vietnam,” Poliska said. “But only to find out you're dying from it 30 or 40 years later.” The VVA assists veterans who think their illness might be related to Agent Orange, and Walsted said help doesn't carry any obligations. “Agent Orange people from Vietnam are getting older and we're losing a lot of them,” Walsted said. “People just need to be aware. There's always a service officer at any American Legion of VFW post. That's the best contact and they can steer you in the right way. Some people are scared - they think they have to join, but they don't have to be members to access a service officer. They don't turn anybody away.” He sees history repeating itself for the troops who returned from the Persian Gulf. “They're all saying they're sick and the government came out and said it's all in their heads,” he said. “Pretty much like they did with Agent Orange.”